The key to negotiating is letting people talk themselves, not talking people into it. Have you ever been on holidays to the tourist spots in Spain? Any shops you walk into you find yourself negotiating with the sales assistant straight away. Sales training facilitators will point out that we have all negotiated at some point in our time whether it is with the children to go bed or with the bar man to give you an extra shot.

Many of us find it difficult to confront a negotiation as we are people pleasers. Yet this does not mean that we can not carry through the negotiation with confidence as we possess the tools and tactics that are used on sales training courses to get us to achieving our goals. Some of the tactics used can include;

1. The wince. “AAAHHH, what in the world?!” this overreaction is carried out when your counterpart gets to their point and states their position. Sales training courses will tell you that if you are not prepared for this you will give in.
2. Silence is golden. Use silence if you do not like what they say or if you are waiting for a response. You need to ride out the uncomfortable silence to accomplish your objectives. The chances are that the counterpart will feel compelled to give in.
3. Trial balloons. These are questions that sales trainers will advise that you use to test the waters.
4. The Red Herring. When someone weasels their way out of the principle point on to a smaller matter. They then get tough on the smaller less important matter. This leads you to feel bound into negotiating down even further.

Sales training courses will tell you that half of your work is actually in trying to define the problem. For this reason throughout a negotiation it is necessary for all participants to discuss their problems and what they are expecting to achieve.

Is being on guard a good tactic to use while negotiating? A sales training course will explain to you that it is not. People that loosen their guard are more approachable and therefore more likely to achieve their goals as they look for the similarities they have with the component.

Through sales training courses you can gain great knowledge and experience from others mistakes and contributions. There are hush-hush tips however that can guide you into not making the same mistakes. These mistakes may include;

o Telling your self it is the end of the world if the deal does not follow through. Put simply it is not.
o Believing your counterpart has all the negotiating power. Keep in mind that we are all equal. If you want the truth and a fair outcome go in to the negotiation with a clean slate and no prejudgements.
o They fail to see that there is more than just one option.
o An approach that it is me against my opponent.
o Accept all positions as final. This is not fact take markets for example, they say final yet if you continue persuasively the majority will lower their price again

Sales skill trainers will always stress to remember that when negotiating you are trying to help each other out rather than working against each other.

Whether you are presenting to a small or large audience at work or in the community, here are 10 factors that can help you give an excellent presentation:

1. You know your subject.
It’s obvious to me and the rest of the audience that you know your material well and can handle questions with ease. You are confident but not cocky. It’s okay if you use notes, but you are not buried in them.

2. You communicate a clear message.
Not only do you know your subject well, but you are able to focus it into a concise message that I can understand, regardless of my level of expertise.

3. Your message is relevant to me (also known as “you care about the audience”).
You explain how your message relates to me and my experience. Once I heard someone give a speech that consisted entirely of stories about his experiences with famous people, to which I couldn’t relate at all. I kept thinking, “how does this help ME?”

4. You are prepared.
You show your respect for me and the rest of the audience by moving through your points in an organized manner, speaking within the time limit and comfortably handling the room environment and logistics.

5. You keep my attention.
You vary your voice and body language so you are interesting to listen to and watch. You make eye contact with me, you speak loudly enough so I can hear you easily and your body language matches your words.

6. You care about your subject.
Your presentation or speech conveys your sincere enthusiasm for your subject. You don’t have to be jumping up and down in the front of the room, but if you don’t care about your subject, why should I?

7. You share stories and examples.
Your stories don’t have to be long or overly dramatic; they can be short examples or anecdotes that illustrate your message and help it make sense to me.

8. Your slides are not the focus.
You remember that you are the presentation and your slides are just the visual aids. You spend most of your time making eye contact with the audience instead of looking at the screen. Your slides are easy to read and contain high-quality images. (Or, you don’t use slides at all!)

9. You are authentic.
You are your real self instead of putting on an act or pretending. You connect with me and the rest of the audience by sharing your real experiences and opinions. And you’re the same person offstage as when you’re onstage.

10. You’re not perfect.
When something unexpected happens or you make a mistake, you acknowledge it with grace and humor. And we are reminded that the goal is communication, not perfection, since perfection is unrealistic and unnecessary.

The next time you have to give a presentation or speech for any kind of audience, make sure you include these 10 factors, so you can deliver an excellent presentation.